ISLAMABAD - Above 100 ventilators in the major cites of the country are occupied with novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patients while 83% of the total number are vacant, The Nation learnt on Saturday.
As per the Health Ministry data available with The Nation, 119 ventilators in the country are occupied with the COVID-19 patients.
The number of COVID-19 patients in the country has reached 38,799 with 31 more deaths in a day.
As per the documents, the total numbers of ventilators in the country are 2,356 out which 702 are reserved for COVID-19 patients. However, only 119 out the allocated 702 ventilators are occupied by COVID-19 patients.
Total vacancy number of ventilators in major cities of the country is 1888 while the utilization so far is 17 percent.
In Islamabad, the total available ventilators are 233 with 13 occupied by COVID-19 patients and 90 in reserve for the pandemic disease patients. The city has 220 vacant ventilators and 14 percent have been utilized so far.
In KP, Peshawar has the highest occupancy rate of 52 percent where 167 ventilators are available and 75 are reserved with COVID-19 patients. About 39 ventilators are occupied there with COVID-19 patients, 32 by others while 96 are still vacant.
Meanwhile, in Abbottabad city out of total 25 ventilators 12 are reserved for COVID-19 patients and one is occupied. Two are taken by other critical patients while 22 are still vacant.
In Punjab, Lahore has 793 ventilators including 214 reserved for COVID-19 with 20 occupied. About 180 ventilators are taken by other patients and 593 are still vacant.
Faisalabad has 149 ventilators in total with 214 for COVID-19 patients out of which two are occupied by them while 26 by others and 121 are still vacant.
Rawalpindi has 229 ventilators with 64 reserved for COVID-19 and 11 are occupied by the pandemic patients. About 50 ventilators in the city hospitals are taken by other patients while 168 are vacant.
The Multan city has 150 ventilators including 18 reserved for COVID-19 and one occupied by it. 25 ventilators in the city are occupied by other patients and 124 are vacant.
The official data said that in Sindh, Karach has 451 ventilators with 109 reserved for COVID-19 and 32 are occupied by the patients. About 31 ventilators are taken by other critical patients and 388 are still vacant.
In Hyderabad, hospitals have 50 ventilators with 20 reserved for COVID-19 patients. Three ventilators are occupied by patients suffering with other diseases while 47 are vacant there.
In Baluchistan, Quetta has 61 ventilators with 31 reserved for COVID-19 and none is occupied. The GB hospitals have nine ventilators with three for COVID-19 patients and all are vacant.
In AJK, Muzaffarabad city has 28 ventilators with 18 reserved for COVID-19 patients and all are vacant. Similarly, 11 ventilators are available in hospitals of Mirpur and all are vacant.
Earlier, the NDMA had said that around 2000 ventilators were available in the country and only half of them were available for use in the pandemic situation.
NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Mohammad Afzal had stated that the authority negotiated the purchase of 700 ventilators which it expects to receive by the end of June.